Vehicle roof storage systems have been in use for many years. Past designs have required the user to exert substantial effort in placing items in the carrier and safely securing the items in the storage system. Moreover, the securing systems often failed and additional steps were required to safely secure the contents to the storage systems. Examples of efforts to provide vehicle roof storage systems include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,058,342, 4,234,285, 4,953,757, 5,469,933, 5,505,579, and 5,632,591, all incorporated by reference.
Despite these efforts there has remained a need in the art for improved vehicle roof storage systems that meet one or more of the following needs: it is relatively easy to load items in the roof top carrier (e.g. a ladder or a boat); it is relatively easy to place items in a storage box located on the carrier, which stores long items (e.g. tubing or lumber); items are securely locked to the storage system; the storage system is durable (e.g. the locking system or ladder carrier members do not break when banged with a ladder); the system is relatively lightweight; it is relatively easy to assemble and attach; and the system can easily conform different vehicles.